The four-man line rushed into things

As if he wasn't under enough pressure, Patriots quarterback Matt Gutierrez got harassed by the Ravens' Edgar Jones. (Jim Davis/Globe Staff)

FOXBOROUGH - What type of X's and O's conclusions can be drawn from an exhibition in which the Patriots kept 19 players on the sideline, including quarterback Tom Brady and receiver Randy Moss, and looked generally inept?

Not many, to be frank, although given one of the Patriots' top defensive objectives this year, there was one noticeable bright spot: Rushing only four players early in the first quarter last night against the Baltimore Ravens, they generated pressure, leading to a sack of Kyle Boller, a forced fumble, and a recovery.

Getting to the passer with just the standard four rushers has been an area defenders have been harping on this offseason. Also notable was the catalyst for the turnover - resurgent defensive end Richard Seymour.

Yes, it was the 6-foot-6-inch, 310-pound Seymour exploding through the left side of the Ravens' offensive line, consisting of backup tackle Chad Slaughter and 2007 first-round draft choice Ben Grubbs, before grabbing Boller's jersey.

"He has that reputation in the NFL as a fierce pass rusher for a reason," Grubbs said after the Ravens' 16-15 victory.

Seymour's surge halted Boller's momentum as he attempted to run up the field, and allowed outside linebacker Adalius Thomas - powering in from the opposite side - to fight off his blocker and knock the ball free. Defensive end Ty Warren was there for the recovery.

It ended up being the last play of the night for all three, ending on a high note just two series into the game.

The pressure and ensuing turnover came just two days after outside linebacker Mike Vrabel told reporters that the four-man rush was on the mind of the defense. So, too, was better performance on third down.

"It's one of those things, as a defensive lineman, you like it when you rush four," Seymour said after the game. "If we rush four, I feel like we need to force the quarterback to either get rid of the ball quick or get a sack. It isn't always going to be a sack or a play like that, but you just don't want him to sit back there and hold the ball and pick apart our secondary."

Last night's big play came on third and 4 from the Ravens' 44-yard line with 6:37 remaining in the opening quarter. Seymour and outside linebacker Pierre Woods surged in from the right side, with Thomas and Warren on the opposite side against backup right tackle Mike Kracalik and starting right guard Marshal Yanda.

The ability to generate pressure with just four defenders is vital because it allows seven players to drop into pass coverage, outnumbering the players in pass routes.

Part of the reason it takes on added importance for the Patriots is that the team's secondary is in transition, with top cornerback Asante Samuel (Eagles) and backups Randall Gay (Saints) and Eugene Wilson (Buccaneers) playing elsewhere. More pressure up front will naturally help the new-look secondary, which opened last night with second-round draft choice Terrence Wheatley and free agent signee Fernando Bryant at cornerback.

Seeing Seymour as the prime disrupter last night reinforced what he had said on the first day of training camp July 24: that he felt like a different player because it was the first time in almost two years that he was healthy in the offseason, with no pain in his left knee.

He felt the knee had limited his ability to train in the offseason, forcing him to play on ability alone. In 2006, he also played through an arm injury.

Now he's back focusing on his all-around game.

"As a complete player, you want to do a good job against the run and the pass," he said. "It's football season. This is the time in training camp where we're putting in the fundamentals that are going to take us through the regular season."

In flashing a bit of his old, disruptive self, Seymour was the catalyst in providing the highlight on an otherwise ugly night of football.

"It was a decent start," he said. "It was like cranking the car up and [pushing] the motor out a little bit."

In this case, it was a four-cylinder effort - getting the sack and turnover with just four rushers.

"We want to stop the run with our front seven and we want to rush the passer with our front four," Seymour said. "You have a good defense when you can do that and allow other people to do other things."